The one that got away: Roger Federer shock loss at Wimbledon after having match point

What a bizarre Wimbledon this has been, with the Top 10 gutted in the women’s field, and now Roger Federer losing his quarterfinal contest after having match point, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11.

Will July 11 be one of those days when Roger Federer looks back and thinks, “that’s when I let grand slam No. 21 get away?”

Will the loss to Kevin Anderson in the quarters be one of those missed opportunities filled with regret for a last chance at a Wimbledon slam?

So many top seeds fell throughout SW19, but still Federer cruised through his matches, without losing sets, without being broken, serving at a phenomenally efficient 90-plus percent. He sailed through his matches without seemingly breaking a sweat while everyone else bristled under the record heat wave. The Swiss legend controlled the match with Anderson from the start and nothing seemed out of the ordinary when he sat with match point in the third. It is only one of just a handful of matches that he lost after sitting with a two set lead (over of a thousand matches played!).

Roger Federer — blessed by the tennis gods — had enormously bad luck.

He let the match slip away, giving the U.S. Open finalist Kevin Anderson, another opportunity at a grand slam final, provided he can get through John Isner first in the semifinal.

Was it the fact that Roger Federer played on Court One instead of Center Court, where he’s won so many times before?

Federer was in a race against himself, racing to add to his own records: his 2005-2006 streak of straight match wins at Wimbledon, a chance to add to his record eight titles at his best slam, a closer chance to the 100-plus ATP title record, and a chance to equal Martina Navratilova’s record nine singles titles.

Opportunities presented and lost. At age 36, how often will these chances come? Since his comeback from injury last year, Federer’s won three of his 20 grand slam titles, and he’s owned the grass courts at the All England Club.

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• Who is the youngest Wimbledon champion ever?
• How many Grand Slam titles has Novak Djokovic won?
• Marketa Vondrousova’s refreshing Wimbledon win: Injury comeback and history made

Roger Federer will turn 37 next month. We’ve become so used to witnessing his elegant, ruthless game for decades now. With the choke in the third set, the greatest male tennis player proved that he is mortal after all.

“I had my chances,” Federer said in his press conference afterwards, “so it’s disappointing.”

This one got away. This one will sting for some time.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take me [to get over it]” Federer said in his press conference. “Might take me a while, might take me half an hour. I have no idea what it’s going to be. Of course, the goal is to come back here next yeaer … So I’m all right. Just disappointed now.”

Federer is the world No. 2. He’s won three ATP titles this year already. He’s likely to win enough ATP titles to be one of only two players who own 100 or more titles (Jimmy Connors holds 109, Federer, 98, Ivan Lendl 94 and Nadal 79). He is the celebrated greatest men’s tennis player of all time. He is playing better than anyone remotely younger than him, except for perhaps Nadal.

He will be fine.

But even great legends have bad days. For Roger Federer, today was one.